Regional Planner Retires After 30 Years Of Change

The region's residents probably don't think much about the two bridge-tunnels connecting the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads, other than when they're afraid of getting caught in a traffic jam.

But things looked much different when Henry Cochran moved to the area to work as a planner 30 years ago. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel charged a toll. The Monitor-Merrimac study was four years away.

Cochran's job was different, too. He headed the Peninsula's planning group until it merged with its South Hampton Roads counterpart eight years ago.

On Tuesday, the York County resident will spend his last day on the job as deputy executive director of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. Transportation is as hot an issue now as it was when he moved here. Regional leaders are immersed in plans for a third crossing.

Those same leaders gave Cochran a standing ovation this month at his final HRPDC meeting. Cochran is retiring, and fishing is on his agenda. He pledged to help reduce the state's surplus trout population.

The HRPDC brings together leaders from both sides of the water to tackle regional concerns like roads, the environment and raising average income. In his 30 years here, Cochran, 65, said he has seen regional cooperation grow, such as when the communities banded together to keep military bases open. Last week, Cochran talked with Daily Press reporter Matt Glynn about how Hampton Roads has changed and what lies ahead:

Q: What are the biggest changes you've seen in the region in your 30 years here?

A: I think one of the biggest and best was the merger of the two planning district commissions. They established the boundaries along the lines of which communities could talk to each other and had the potential to work with each other. And back in that era, with the tolls that were on the facilities between the north side of Hampton Roads and the south side of Hampton Roads, the two economies were fairly similar. The cost of the tolls really represented a separation of these two regions. Eventually, the removal of the tolls really made these two regions function more as one region than two separate regions.

Q: What impact has the merger had?

A: I think it's been very advantageous. There were a lot of people at the time who didn't think the north shore and the south shore could sit down and talk, let alone agree on solving the region's problems. But I think those people certainly underestimated the caliber of local government officials in this area. These people, in this region, are more sincerely interested in cooperating in regional planning and solving the region's problems than you are going to find in many other parts of the country.

Q: How important is the planned third crossing to the region's future?

A: It's absolutely essential. This area isn't going to survive without it. In 1972, the Peninsula Planning District Commission and the Southeast Planning District Commission along with the Virginia Department of Highways did the initial study for the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel. In 1992, the project was completed. Now you're talking about a $1 billion project for the third crossing. It's going to take a lot of work and effort to get it in place. I think a lot of people don't appreciate the fact that while the population of this area may not be going up substantially as in past years, maybe going up less than 1 percent a year, the number of trips that people take has gone up by a factor of four. You have more opportunities to make trips.

Q: Local leaders frequently talk about the need to raise the region's per - capita income. How have you seen the economy change through the years?

A: I think the communities are making every effort to diversify the economy. I think the competitiveness of the region is something that's going to be amplified. We've seen the communities on the Peninsula form an economic development alliance, and the same with the Southside communities. I wouldn't be surprised to see if in the future those two combine.

Q: There's a lot of talk about expanding the region's air service. How important is that to stimulating growth?

A: There are a lot of questions related to our air service that need to be answered. Certainly Norfolk, Newport News/Williamsburg and Richmond have a great deal of opportunity to handle airport travel. What the communities have to look at is, will it mean increased service?

Each of these airports has the capacity to grow. We'll come to the point when we'll decide whether to build a new airport. That's going to be like the third crossing. If you think you're going to need that, you better start planning for that right now.

Q: What's your impression of how the region has grown over the past 30 years?

A: It's grown tremendously. But I'm one that believes bigness is not a measure of evil. I think it requires a lot of care and planning. ... You either progress or you're going to deteriorate. You can't afford to be static. I think this area has fantastic potential to attract development.